Devoted To You and her
by Elementa
Summary: Troy just broke up with his girlfriend Annie, because she never had time for him. Things start heating up when he and his best friend Rachel make a bet: can Troy find a girl who will find time for him ? No High school musical characters other than Troy.
1. Chapter 1

(This story supposes that Gabriella does not yet exist in Troy's life, and Troy is the only character present from High School Musical in his story. All the other characters are fictional, but have been inspired by some real-life people.)

Troy looked at his watch. It was 3:15. Soccer practice had ended late today and his date with his girlfriend Annie was in five minutes. He would definitely have to run if he wanted to make it. Troy took off his shirt (Aaaah!) and got dressed. He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt, faded blue jeans, and a sporty Adidas jacket. He rushed to the front of the school and found Annie looking at her watch, mouthing the seconds as they went by. Her clock went off and she looked up. Her brown hair blew in the wind and she ruffled it with her fingers, and she smiled, her eyes twinkling. They exchanged a (small, 4-second) kiss, (some tongue action for those girls gawking at their computers and walked to _Umberto's. _

_Umberto's_ was the local hangout for students at California South High, or CSH, a high school in San Luis Obispo, California. Troy was the star player on the soccer team, the forward, so he was always scoring the goals and he was always cheered on. But Annie was never there to watch him play. She was always busy with her singing, dancing and cheerleading practices, so she never had time for Troy, and he was kind of bothered. But he still really liked Annie.

The couple ordered two Dolce de Leche shakes and sat down at a small, cozy table far away from the crowded café.

"I've been thinking about… us," said Troy, sipping his milkshake. "I'm always at your big performances, I go to basketball games even though I don't like basketball that much just to watch you cheer, and I've gone to three Cheerleading tournaments since we've been together. We've been a couple for three months now. And you haven't shown up at any of my soccer games."

"Troy, I've told you a _gazillion_ times," sighed Annie, stroking Troy's hand. "I'm too busy!"

"Well I'm busy too! And_ I_ can still make it to your… stuff. I've heard you sing a billion times, it wouldn't hurt if you came to at least _one _of my soccer games, Annie."

"Come on, Troy, you know that I love you, and that—"

"Annie, I can't do this anymore. I need your support, I need you to be there, and all I get are your apologies. I'm done."

"But we haven't even finished our shakes, Troy. Can't we talk about this?" sighed Annie.

"Sorry, Annie. But I'm taking this shake to go. I can't do this anymore," said Troy, standing up. He kissed Annie on the cheek, then whispered, "Sorry", and walked out.

Troy walked home and called up Rachel, his best friend. He knew he could always count on her to show up at is games, so why couldn't _Annie_ have done that? Anyway, it was too late now! Troy locked his bedroom door and dialed Rachel's number on his cell phone.

"Hello?" asked Rachel. Rachel was 15, three years younger than Troy, but she understood him more than anyone else. She wasn't popular like Troy, but was incredibly beautiful. She was blonde and had blue eyes and always made Troy feel better about anything.

"Rachel… it's me."

"Troy, hey! How was your day?" asked Rachel. She could sense something was wrong.

"Well… I just broke it up with Annie," sighed Troy. He lied down on his bed.

"Sorry hon, but you know she wasn't right for you. I mean, Troy, I'm your best friend right?"

"And…"

"Well, can I be honest with you then?"

"Of course."

"Well then, honestly now. You've been so blind as to choose a girl like Annie, the most popular girl in school, the cheerleader, the singer, the actress… she's nice, don't get me wrong, but she just didn't have enough time for you! You need a girl who will support you and be there for you! And, honestly, I'm just not sure you're capable of finding a girl like that! I mean, I just think you're so into popular girls that you couldn't find a nice, down to earth, normal girl if you wanted to," said Rachel.

"Wanna bet?" asked Troy.

"Yeah… okay. I'll give you a month, and if you can find a down to earth, honest girl that you truly like and that likes you back, and that you can be with, who will actually be there for you, who will devote her time to be there… _you_ win. And if you can't, well then… you lose!"

"And what's at risk here? Free shake on me at _Umberto's, _a kiss on the cheek… five bucks?" asked Troy.

"Are you kidding? Come on, those are _lame_ prizes! If you win… I'll join the cheerleading squad."

"WHAT?" Troy was shocked. Rachel _hated _the idea of girls prancing around in short skirts and cheering to a bad sport like basketball. "And what if I lose?"

"If you lose, _you_ join the cheerleading squad," giggled Rachel.

"What? A bunch of hot girls won't let me join the cheerleading squad!"

"Troy! You're the most popular guy in school! Trust me, they won't mind the extra-attention they would get from people coming to see _you_ dance!" laughed Rachel.

Troy thought about the situation for a moment. Annie was definitely nice, but Rachel was right. She wasn't the down to earth, devoted, supportive girl he was meant to be with. He needed to find that girl. But risk his manlihood by joining the Cheer squad? It was definitely risky!

"You're on, and this starts tomorrow," said Troy, and hung up the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

Troy walked to school with Rachel the next morning.

"So… you nervous, Troy? I sense some… tension…" laughed Rachel.

"No… I'm not nervous… not nervous at all… I'm cool!" said Troy.

"Well, good luck. Remember, Troy, I'm doing this for your own good…" said Rachel with a serious tone. "But I can't_ wait_ to see you cheer!"

Troy and Rachel arrived at school.

"See you at lunch! Well, actually… see you and your new _girl_friend at lunch!" giggled Rachel, and ran to her first class.

Troy went to his locker. "Get it together man," thought Troy. "You're cool… you're cool man, you're the _coolest_ guy in school!"

Troy went to his first class and eyed out the girls. English was his first subject that morning, and most of the girls in this class were pretty geeky... most of the girls in this class were either geniuses or cheerleaders, and he couldn't date a cheerleader. He needed someone down to earth… but he wouldn't settle for a _nerd_.

"Good morning class," said Mrs. Myers. "I'm partnering you up for a special English Assignment, which will count as a large part of your grade, so do well and you won't fail. Okay…"

Mrs. Myers read down the list of partners, and finally reached Troy.

"Mr. Bolton… you will be paired up with… Paris."

_Aw great_, thought Troy, _a nerd_.

Paris went up to his desk. She was tanned, with light brown shoulder length hair, and light brown eyes. She was surprisingly… kind of... _beautiful_.

"Hi Troy," said Paris nervously, trying not to gawk. She couldn't believe she was partnered up with the most popular guy in school. "I'm Paris."

She reached out her hand, and he shook it.

"Hi… I'm… I'm Troy."

Maybe this was the girl—

"Mr. Bolton," said Mrs. Myers. "Unfortunately, you are failing my class. Now, I have paired you with Paris so that you won't daydream, so do yourself a favor and start focusing... NOW."

"Um… sorry… Mrs. Myers," said Troy, clearing his throat.

Troy went up to Rachel's locker.

"Hi!" he said excitedly.

"What's up with _you_?" asked Rachel, puzzled by Troy's mood.

"Well, I think I've found her."

"Who?"

"The_ girl_. You know… the girl for the deal!" whispered Troy.

"Sooooo… so who is she?" asked Rachel.

"Paris. This girl in my English class. The_ only_ non-cheerleader in the class who's pretty. She was really nice! I mean, I just… I _felt _something… powerful, you know?"

"Troy!" exclaimed Rachel. "You sound like a woman!"

"Sorry, but this deal really got me thinking. You were _so_ right! I need a girl who isn't obsessed with herself, who isn't stuck-up and popular… I need a _nice_ girl, a friendly, sweet girl… thanks Rachel, you're the best!" said Troy happily. The bell rang, and Troy walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Troy walked to school alone. He couldn't stop thinking about Paris. She was exactly the type of girl Troy needed to win the bet. But Troy wasn't sure whether he was in this for the girl, or whether he was in this to prove Rachel wrong. And what about Rachel? Troy was worried that if he won the bet, he would lose her forever. And what if his new girlfriend wanted to be more important than Rachel? _Nobody _was better than Rachel! Nobody understood Troy more than Rachel! So what would he settle for? Losing the bet and cheering? That thought sent shivers up and down Troy's spine. He had to win the bet! But was he willing to maybe lose Rachel, or lose a possible girlfriend? Troy couldn't think anymore. He had arrived at school.

The first girl he saw in the hallway was Paris.

"Hi Troy," said Paris, looking at some papers. "Okay… about our report… the essay is going to be about—"

"Paris," said Troy. Paris looked up. She was wearing reading glasses. Troy thought they were kind of… _hot._ "Paris, I have to get to class early today. But do you want to go to _Umberto's, _grab a shake, and maybe… discuss this?"

Paris thought for a moment. Was Troy, the most popular, hottest guy in school, asking _her_ on a date? Or was he ready to ditch her? "Sure."

"Great!" said Troy. "I'll meet you in front of the school at 3:30!"

Paris walked away, and Troy walked to his locker. He looked at his schedule… he had… gym next. Troy went to the locker rooms and changed, thinking about Rachel. He kept envisioning Rachel disappearing from his life. He couldn't have that happen, he just couldn't. Suddenly, the guys from his gym class walked inside the locker room and started changing aside Troy.

"Hey man!" said one of Troy's friends as he sat down next to Troy. "You okay?"

"Yeah man," sighed Troy. "Never been better," and he walked out of the locker room.

Troy went inside the gym. He saw all the cheerleaders, in their gym shorts and shirts, checking their nails and chewing gum. And in the other corner, Troy's teammates on the soccer team, who were checking out the cheerleaders. Troy saw a girl and did a double-take. Wo… who was that? Troy had never seen that girl before, and she looked… gorgeous. She had brown hair up to her shoulders, light brown eyes, and beautiful, tanned skin.

The gym teacher, Mr. Spencer, walked into the gym and blew his whistle. Everybody came and formed a circle around him. Troy made sure he stood next to the girl. He looked at her, and she looked back, and then turned away, smiling and blushing.

"Hi," whispered Troy, smiling.

"Hi," whispered the girl, smiling back.

"TROY!" yelled Mr. Spencer. "Anything you'd like to say?"

"Um… no, no Mr. Spencer, sir," stuttered Troy.

"Well then, since you're talking to the girl next to you, why don't you partner up with her?" asked Mr. Spencer, writing down things in a little notebook.

"Um… sure, _sure_, no problem."

When Mr. Spencer had finished talking, Troy walked over to the girl. He held out his hand.

"I'm Troy," whispered Troy.

"Why are you whispering?" asked the girl.

"Oh… sorry… what's your name?"

"I'm Carol," said the girl, blushing, and took Troy's hand. Troy let go and cleared his throat.

"Anyway… um, what's the assignment? I kind of wasn't listening…"

"Me neither," giggled Carol. "But what I do know is that I'm new, and I wouldn't mind having a few friends around…"

"_Hey_," said Troy, pulling away and nodding. "_I_ can be a friend."

"Rachel! Rachel! Omigawd, Rachel!" exclaimed Troy, running to Rachel's locker. "I found her, I found the girl!"

"So, who is she?" asked Rachel, sighing. She didn't seem very excited about the news.

"Her name is Carol. She's new and she's gorgeous. And she's not a cheerleader, and she's nice, and she's no geek, _man_, Rachel, this is PERFECT!" exclaimed Troy.

"Whatever you say, Troy," mumbled Rachel.

"Okay... what's wrong?" asked Troy.

"Nothing… well actually, Troy, we need to talk."

"I can't though; I need to go meet Paris and—"

Troy looked at Rachel, and Rachel gave Troy that look people give when they're trying to say, "Duh!"

"Oh…" mumbled Troy. "Right."

Troy understood now. He was falling for two girls now.

"All I'm saying Troy, is that you need to watch your back. You can't like all these girls. Just think of each heart you're going to break when they find out about this deal, and when they find out you like more than one girl. Troy, just watch out, please."


	4. Chapter 4

Troy went over to the front of the school and found Paris, writing in her binder, wearing reading glasses.

"Hey, Paris," said Troy. Ever since Rachel had confronted him about liking more than one girl, he was nervous and he wasn't feeling too well. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I am," said Paris, closing her binder. The two walked to _Umberto's._ Troy ordered a dulce de leche shake, as always, and Paris ordered a strawberry raspberry caramel fudge brownie shake.

"What kind is that?" asked Troy, puzzled by what Paris had ordered.

"Oh," said Paris, giggling. "Its strawberry, pieces of fudge brownie, chocolate syrup, raspberry, and caramel swirl."

"_Ew_!" Troy made a funny face. "Sounds dis_gus_ting!"

"_Trust_ me!" said Paris. "Once you taste it, Troy, you'll _never_ drink dulce de leche a_gain_!"

The two sat down at the small, cozy table Annie and Troy had sat when Troy had broken up with Annie. Paris held up her shake to Troy. He took the cup, held his breath, and took a sip…

"Hey… that's not so bad," said Troy, relieved. "Hey! That's really good!"

"Look Troy… I know you expected to come here to work on the project… but… is this a date?" asked Paris shyly.

"Well," said Troy, and thought for a minute. "I _guess_."

Paris' eyes lit up. "So, about the English project!"

"Right… about that—"

"Mrs. Myers paired us up together so that you could get a good grade. Troy, I'm gonna get you an A! But we need to find a topic to write the essay on… let's see…"

"Paris, I have to say something, but—"

"Troy, what do you want to do the essay on? It's got to be something we can really examine, something we can really go into in-depth…"

"Paris—"

"I've _got_ it! Let's write about Shakespearean theatre! Oh, it's perfect Troy! We'll flatter her, it's her favorite kind of theater, and we'll go in-depth about wording, vocabulary, the grammar, the punctuation! Oh, it's so perfect!"

"Yeah," mumbled Troy. "Perfect."

The two finished their milkshakes, and Paris put away her binder.

"Look, Paris. I'm not feeling well. I'm gonna go. Thanks for paying for the shakes. And if you want to consider this a date… you can. Bye."

Troy kissed Paris on the cheek and walked home.

"I'm officially confused," Troy said, putting his cell phone on speakerphone so that he could listen to Rachel's reply while eating. "On one hand, there's Paris. Paris is sweet, funny, beautiful, and she would definitely devote her time to me. And then, on the other hand, there's Carol. Carol is gorgeous, nice, caring, and she makes me smile just thinking about her. And when I think about Paris, I get chills. And when I listen to Carol's voice, I feel as if she's the only person in the world who understands—"

"Besides me of course," said Rachel. Troy stopped for a minute. Besides Rachel? He wasn't sure anymore. It seemed now as if Troy was wrestling not only between Carol and Paris, but between Carol, Paris... and Rachel. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose any one of them.

"Troy?" said Rachel. "Besides me of course… right?" The line was silent. Rachel hung up, frustrated.

Troy just didn't know anymore. He was so overwhelmed by all these feelings that he just didn't know who he wanted in his life and who he didn't. Troy realized that he couldn't have all three.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day at school, the first girl Troy saw was Carol. She was beaming and she approached him.

"Troy!" said Carol. "Do you have a free period now?"

"Yeah, I do," said Troy.

"Then come outside with me," she said, taking his hand.

"Why not go to _Umberto's_?" asked Troy.

"_Where_?" asked Carol.

"Oh right, you're new here. Well, then, let me introduce you to the local hangout," smiled Troy.

Carol and Troy walked to _Umberto's_. Carol looked at the shake menu, puzzled by all the varieties she could drink. Troy ordered a strawberry raspberry caramel fudge brownie shake.

"_Ew_," said Carol. "What flavor is that?"

"Oh, it's just a flavor that—"

Troy stopped. If he said that Paris had introduced it to him, she would ask who she was, and Troy would have to tell her.

"It's just a flavor that a teammate introduced to me," said Troy.

"A teammate for what?" asked Carol.

"My soccer team. I'm the forward, so I always score," said Troy, trying to impress her.

"I used to play soccer," laughed Carol. Troy looked at her, surprised. "Yeah, but I wasn't forward. I was goalie. I would've stayed, but now I'm here."

"Where _are_ you from by the way?" asked Troy.

"Oh, well, I was born in Brazil. But we moved to Virginia and stayed there for a while. And now I'm here."

The two sat down with their shakes and talked.

"So… Troy… I've been meaning to ask you," said Carol, sipping her shake. "Um… is this a date?"

_Oh great_, thought Troy. _Not this question again._

"Um… sure, I guess," smiled Troy nervously. "We can call it a date."

Just as Carol was about to say something, she looked at her watch.

"Troy, we have to go. The bell is going to ring in two minutes!" said Carol worriedly.

"Okay, let's hurry up then!" said Troy, standing up.

The two ran back to school.

"Look, Carol. Thanks a lot. I had fun. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, Troy," smiled Carol. He looked into her eyes and she blushed. "I have to go to algebra, or else the teacher will kill me. But we'll talk." Carol held Troy's hand for a second, and when she heard the bell, ran away.

Troy sighed. It was time for drama class.

Troy walked into the theatre, ten minutes late. He tried to sneak in undetected, but the teacher's eye was just too sharp.

"Mr. Bolton!" exclaimed Mrs. Snow. "You are ten minutes late. I expect you to take this class seriously, unlike last year, when you ridiculed the school with your rendition of the Balcony Scene in Romeo and Juliet. However, I must say that Annie did make a _fabulous _Juliet."

"Yes, Mrs. Snow, I'm sorry, I… I was in... the bathroom."

"Well, Mr. Bolton," said Mrs. Snow, looking at a piece of paper. "Go to the piano. You will sing with… Molly."

Troy walked over to the piano and saw Molly practicing her notes. She had a really nice voice, but Troy couldn't see her, because she was facing the piano.

"Um, hi, Molly, I'm—"

Molly turned around, and Troy stopped. Standing in front of him was yet another pretty girl. Her hazel eyes popped against her pale skin and long brown hair.

"Hi," said Molly, smiling, giving Troy a sheet of musical paper. He looked at it and frowned. There must have been at least a hundred notes on it. "Practice it in your head and we'll go over it together afterwards."

Troy couldn't believe he had yet _another_ girl in front of him. He practiced what he thought was right in his head, and told Molly he was ready. They both stood in front of the piano and sung the words together. Troy found a high-pitched note and fumbled, hitting the wrong note.

"That's okay, I'll take that note," said Molly, scribbling on her sheet of music.

"You've got a really pretty voice," said Troy.

"Thank you," whispered Molly, smiling. "And so do you… but it wouldn't hurt to hit the right note."

Troy went to Rachel's locker.

"Rachel," said Troy. "I'm sorry about last night. I mean—"

"Save it, Troy," said Rachel, closing her locker, and walked away, books in hand. Troy ran after her and walked by her side.

"I didn't _know _this would happen when I made the bet. I thought I would find the _perfect_ girl and it would be finished just like _that_. But now I'm wrestling between you, and Paris, and Carol, and now Molly—"

"Who _now_, Troy? You gonna bring _another_ one into this? You've already broken _my _heart Troy, but hey, just keep piling on the girls and keep breaking hearts! Fine by me. But I can't be friends with a heart-breaking machine. What happened to the _sentimental _Troy I knew? Oh right, I forgot, he became a _jerk_. And now all those other girls are going to find out about each other, Troy, and do you know what's gonna happen? They're all going to hate you! And then you'll have not only lost me, but you'll have lost Paris, and Carol, and this _new_ girl too!"

"I didn't know this would happen, Rachel!" said Troy helplessly.

"Just because you didn't see it coming, doesn't mean you couldn't have avoided it, Troy! And what _now_? You gonna find a girl in science that you like, and a girl in social studies, and second language, and in biology, and in every class you can think of?"

"No, Rachel. Look, you've just got to understand—"

"I've got no time to understand Troy," sighed Rachel. "I wish I did, Troy, but you're just no longer the Troy that used to be my best friend. You've changed, and frankly... ans frankly so have I. I'm sorry."

Rachel walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, you've reached Rachel's cell phone. I can't come to the phone right now, so just leave a message and I'll call back. Thanks, bye!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

"Hey, Rachel, this is Troy. Look, can't we just disc_uss_ this? You need to understand that I had _no_ intention to let everything go on like this! And now I just don't know whose heart to break and who to keep. Just… just call me back when you can."

Troy hung up the phone. He lied on his bed, his mind racing, not knowing what to do. He knew Rachel was right. He was definitely in too deep, but how could he pull out of the situation without hurting anybody? It clicked in his mind that the only way he might be able to do this was by breaking everybody's heart and then trying to mend all of them back together again. But he still had no idea which girl he liked. They were all gorgeous, smart, down to earth, and he knew they would each take out time for him. He knew somebody would be hurt, but he didn't know who.

The next morning, students were posting up flyers for this year's Charity Dance. Each year, the school had a Charity Dance to raise money for different causes. Carol went up to Troy.

"Hey Troy!" said Carol.

"Oh… um, hi Carol," said Troy.

"So… I was wondering… since we were on a date yesterday and we are gym class partners and everything… do you want to go to the dance with me?"

Troy thought for a minute. She was the first who had asked, and he didn't want to lie about 'going with someone else'.

"Sure... why not?" said Troy.

"Awesome!" said Carol, kissing Troy on the cheek. "I'll see you in gym class."

Just as Carol walked away, Paris walked up to Troy.

"Hey Troy! So I was just wondering… because we did go on that date and we are doing our English assignment together and everything… would you like to go to the dance with me?"

What? He was already going with Carol, but he wasn't ready to break Paris' heart, not this early in the morning.

"Um... yeah, I will," said Troy. Paris smiled.

Troy walked away, but Molly caught up to him.

"Hey!" she said. "How's my _favorite_ Romeo?"

"Um… I'm good, I guess," said Troy, nervous about what she would ask.

"So, I was wondering… because we do sing together and we're friends and all… would you consider going to the dance with me?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," sighed Troy. His stomach was in knots.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Molly. "I'll see you in drama."

"Sure thing," said Troy. He waked over to Rachel's locker.

"Did you get my messages?"

"Yeah, all twenty of them," said Rachel.

"So… are we cool?" said Troy.

"Only on one condition, Troy. You need to let these girls in on what's happening. I'm sure one will ask you to the dance, and so when the second one comes along and asks the same question, you need to let her down, tell her the truth."

"Um… yeah…" said Troy, knowing he couldn't do that because he had already said yes to all three. "Good plan."

"I'm sorry I was mean. I'm supposed to be your best friend, and I've been stuck-up and jealous because we haven't really talked in ages. Just… just tell them the truth and can forgive you."

"Right," said Troy. "Thanks for understanding."

"Speaking of dance... come to the dance with me, your best friend! Come _on, _you can't say no to _me_!" said Rachel, closing her locker.

"Of course not," smiled Zac nervously. "No, I'll go with you."

"Cool! See you later Troy!" said Rachel. The bell rang and she ran to her class.


	7. Chapter 7

Troy walked in to the dance, Rachel in hand. Troy was wearing a black tux, and Rachel was wearing a long black dress with diamond straps.

"Troy, I'm so glad we can be friends again. I'm sorry for being so mean. Now that all the girls understand what happened, we can finally relax and forget the bet ever happened!" said Rachel. "I'm gonna get us a drink."

Troy forced a smile and Rachel walked away, but just as she was walking away, Troy saw Paris walk up to him.

"Hi date!" said Paris, twirling around. "How do you like my dress?"

Paris was wearing a strapless light pink dress that stopped a little higher than the knee. She had her hair up in a high ponytail.

"You look amazing," said Troy.

"How about a drink?" exclaimed Paris over the loud music, and walked away.

"Sure," smiled Troy. "I'll wait here."

Troy thought he was off the hook, but Carol approached him.

"Hey," said Carol. "I'm glad we could come to this dance together! How do I look?"

Carol was wearing a long, turquoise gown with golden chain straps. She was wearing her hair down in loose waves.

"You look great," said Troy. "Just great."

"How about a drink for my date?" said Carol. And just as Carol walked away, Molly walked up to Troy.

"Hi Troy," said Molly. "You look fantastic! But do you like my dress?"

Molly was wearing a long, emerald-green dress with an empire waist.

"Incredible," said Troy.

"So… a drink on me?" whispered Molly.

"Yeah, sure," sighed Troy. "Why not?"

Rachel came to Troy with a cup of raspberry punch.

"Here you go," said Rachel, raising her glass. "To either of us being cheerleaders!"

"Aamen," laughed Troy. He drank his punch in one shot. "Um… I'm going to the DJ stand; I'll ask him to play a song."

"Okay," said Rachel. "I'll see you later."

Troy walked to the DJ stand, but was stopped by Paris.

"Troy, where have you been?" exclaimed Paris. "I thought you were going to stay where you were?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I just wanted to hear my favorite song," said Troy, nervously, taking his glass of punch.

"Let's raise our glasses… to Shakespearean Theatre," laughed Paris.

"Of course," said Troy nervously. "Right… Shakespearean theatre."

"I'm going to the bathroom,"said Paris. "I'll see you later."

Paris walked to the bathroom, and Troy walked over to the D booth.

"Hi," said Troy to the DJ. "Can you play –"

"Troy!" said Carol, running to her date. "I've been looking for you to give you this." Carol held up a glass of punch for Troy.

"Oh, thanks," mumbled Troy. All this punch was making him want to go to the bathroom.

"To soccer players," exclaimed Carol, giggling.

"Right, soccer players, yup," Troy said, and laughed falsely.

"Um, I'm going to go on the dance floor. Will you join me?" whispered Carol in Troy's ear, taking his hand.

"Sure thing," mumbled Troy. "But I'm gonna use the bathroom first."

"Okay," said Carol, and walked away.

Troy ran to the bathroom, but was stopped by Molly. If he had to drink another glass of punch—

"Hey Troy," exclaimed Molly, popping out of nowhere. She had two cups of punch in her hand.

"Oh, hey Molly," said Troy nervously. "How are you?"

"I'll only be good if you drink this cup of punch I brought especially for my date," laughed Molly, raising her glass. "To… to singing in the right key."

"Cheers to that," said Troy, raising his cup. He drank it unwillingly and felt his stomach turning. "Look, I really need to use to bathroom. I'll be back in a sec."

"Okay," said Molly. "But be quick. They're announcing the King and Queen of Charity soon!"

"Yeah, the _King_ of Charity," said Troy, pretending to be excited, and ran to the bathroom.


	8. Chapter 8

"Can I have everybody's attention!" yelled the DJ in his mic. "It's _time_ guys. It's time to announce the King and Queen of CHARITY! Everybody MAKE SOME NOISE!"

A student went up to the DJ stand and handed the DJ an envelope. Troy was in the back of the crowd, and his dates were all scattered in the group of students.

"This year's King of Charity, who is not only a popular guy, but an all-around great teen who is generous and helps the community…is..."

Troy walked to get some punch, and—

"TROY BOLTON!"

Troy turned around, nervously. Everybody was cheering and yelling, "TROY! TROY! TROY! TROY! TROY!" Troy felt himself sweating underneath his suit. Had they called his name? He knew the worse was yet to come…

"Troy, please come up and claim your crown!"

Troy went up to the DJ booth, smiling nervously, and took his crown.

"Now, would Troy's date come stand beside him?"

Troy gulped. He knew this was it. The moment of truth. He could see Paris, Carol and Molly all pushing their way through the crowd to reach the stage. The three of them walked up the steps and all stood by Troy. They looked at each other, puzzled.

"Troy," whispered Paris in Troy's ear. "Who are these two?"

"Troy," laughed Carol. "C'mon, tell them who your real date is!"

"Troy!" exclaimed Molly. "These girls are obviously _jealous_ of your real date! Tell these two who your date _really_ is!"

Troy smiled nervously as the girls argued and bickered on stage. The crowd watched silently, looking at Troy weirdly. Rachel was looking at Troy with a chilling stare.

Troy went to the other side of the stage and held Rachel's hand. A strobe light was on him.

"Look," exclaimed Troy as he held Rachel's hand. "I have a lot of explaining to do, I know, but just listen—"

"No, Troy," whispered Rachel. "No more explaining." Rachel walked off the stage and out of the dance and he found himself being stared at by everyone in the room.

"Troy! Troy!" Paris yelled. "These girls obviously all want to be with you, but go ahead and show them who you really like! We went on a date together; we're doing our English Report together!"

"That's not _possible_!" said Carol. "Because ME and Troy went out on a date together! He took ME to _Umberto's_!"

"Well that's funny, because Troy took ME to Umberto's too!" exclaimed Paris back.

Molly shrieked. "TROY! Why did you do this to us? What is this sick prank you're trying to pull? You were supposed to be with ME! I asked you to the dance, and you said _yes_!"

"Oh really?" exclaimed Carol. "That's funny, because I asked Troy to the dance too, and he accepted!"

"NO, he didn't accept to either of you, because I asked Troy to the dance and he said yes! I'M his date tonight!" said Paris. "And you two just want the crown!"

"Okaaay... I sense we all need to just chill," said the DJ, and started playing a slow song.

"Troy, what is going on?" whispered Carol in Troy's ear. "These girls are just mental, right? I mean, you didn't say yes to all of us, you just said yes to me, right?"

Troy was speechless. He wouldn't have minded this going down rationally and silently, but instead it had happened in front of the entire school.

"I need to go," said Troy, pulling away from Carol. "I'll explain all of this later."

Troy walked out of the dance and went home.


	9. Chapter 9

Troy walked to school Monday morning and went to Rachel's locker.

"Rachel, listen," sighed Troy. "We really need to talk this through."

"No Troy, no we don't."

"Yes, yes we do. I was a jerk, a real genuine jerk, and all I can do is get down on my knees and beg for an apology."

"I can't apologize. I already did, but you stabbed me in the back. And I know it'll happen again."

"No, no it _won't_!" exclaimed Troy. "I won't hurt you again, I... I _promise_!"

"I _want_ to forgive you Troy," said Rachel. "But, really, how _can_ I? Now I realize what you did _all_ this time! You were in this without realizing how many people you were stepping on just to win a bet. And now, you broke Carol, Paris, Molly's _and my _heart _all _at the same time, in front of the _whole_ school. I'm just glad I didn't get into the argument with the other girls. You screwed up, Troy. And I could forgive you if I hadn't before, but you messed up, _big_ time. And now, I've lost my best friend."

"Rachel,_ please_, Rachel. I can change this. I can get every girl to forgive me, I can fix this! But I need your forgiveness first." Troy got down on his knees and held Rachel's hands. "_Please_."

Rachel let go of his hands. "It's too late now. Their hearts are broken and they can't forgive you for what you've done… and neither can I." Rachel walked away, crying. Troy hit his head against the locker. Would he_ ever_ win back his best friend? Now he realized how much he cared for all these girls, and what a jerk he had been for liking them without realizing how much he was going to hurt them in the end. But he still wasn't sure which girl he wanted.

The bell rang and Troy walked to his first class, English. Paris sat in front of him, and he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Paris," whispered Troy. "Paris, please listen to me."

"Why would you do that to me, Troy?" said Paris. She was getting choked up. "I thought we liked each other! What happened to that?"

"Paris," said Mrs. Myers. "Paris, Troy, come present your assignment to the class.

The two stood up in front of the class, and Troy started reading from his notes.

"Shakespearean theatre," said Troy, nervously. "Um… the word Shakespearean comes from William Shakespeare, perhaps the most famous playwright of our time." It was Paris' turn to read her line. She sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

"Shake… shake… Shakespearean theatre originated… it originated—"

Paris couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the classroom, sobbing. All the students in the class started laughing hysterically. Troy just frowned and gave Mrs. Myers a look as to apologize on Paris' behalf.

"Well," said Mrs. Myers, putting on her glasses. "Well, that was… short. Anyway, next we have—"

Troy walked out of the class to look for Paris. She was at her locker, and Troy went up to her, watching her pack her things in her backpack.

"What are you doing?" asked Troy.

"I'm leaving," sobbed Paris.

"You can't just leave, we need to—"

"Troy, the only thing you need to do is _move_. Who do you think you are? Oh, but you didn't bother to tell me you were seeing two other girls AS WELL as me. Well, I can't deal with that! You know, Troy, I've _never_ really liked a guy before, and now the first guy I've liked breaks my heart and dates two other girls. Don't you think _something's _wrong with that?"

"I know, and I'm so sorry—"

"MOVE!" Paris pushed Troy away and walked away. Troy sighed and heard the bell. He saw Carol running by.

"CAROL! CAROL!" yelled Troy. "CAROL! Wait!"

Troy caught up to Carol, and she walked fast.

"Carol, I'm a jerk. Look, I understand if you're hurt! But is there any chance we could put this behind us?"

"No, Troy," mumbled Carol. "There isn't a way. Didn't it ever run through your mind that you can't be with three girls and expect them _never_ to find out about each other? Well, it happened, Troy. We found out."

Carol walked faster and faster.

"Carol, can't we talk, go to _Umberto's_, order a shake, settle this?"

"I don't think so, Troy," said Carol. "I'm scared I might find you with your two_ other_ dates! Because you took that girl Paris to _Umberto's_ as well, right?"

Troy saw Molly walking in the opposite direction, and called out her name.

"Molly, Molly, wait up!"

"Troy, just go away. You've caused enough pain already!" mumbled Molly.

"Yeah, I know, but I won't cause you any pain now, because all I want to do is talk to you, alone."

"Sorry Troy. Do you realize how _embarrassed_ I was Friday night? You _humiliated_ me in front of the _entire _school! And now you want me to be your _friend _again? How can I _do_ that, Troy, tell me how! I thought we _had _something, but it turns out we had nothing; because it turns out you had something with two other girls! I can't talk to you, I have to meet Mrs. Snow, nowplease just go before you make my pain worse."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"Hey, you've reached Rachel's cell phone. I can't come to the phone right now, so just leave a message and I'll call back. Thanks, bye!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

"Hi, Rachel, this is Troy. Look, I'm sure you just about_ hate_ me right now, but if you want to hear me out, meet me at Eve's Park tonight, at seven, and we'll just sit down and discuss this. Just please come. It would mean the world to me."

Troy hung up the phone. He put on his Adidas jacket and walked over to the park. He sat down on a bench and waited. Rachel showed up first and sat down next to Troy, followed by Paris, Carol and Molly.

"I brought you guys here tonight because I need to tell you all what happened," said Troy. "I broke up with my girlfriend Annie around two weeks ago, and I didn't really pay attention to girls like you. I had cheerleader fever, the only girls I liked were cheerleader types who didn't have the time to devoted to me. So Rachel and I made a bet. Rachel gave me some time to find a girlfriend that was down-to-earth, funny, sweet, and that could devote her time to be with me. If I won, Rachel would join the cheer squad, something she would _never_ do willingly, and if I lost, I would join the cheer squad, something that, trust me, I would never do willingly either."

The girls giggled and nodded.

"Anyway… first, I found _you_, Paris. You were my partner for the English Assignment, and you were the perfect mix of beauty and brains. And then, I found you, Carol, and I didn't expect to find a girl who liked soccer just as much as I did. And then I found you, Molly, and you had the most beautiful voice ever. I didn't want to fall for all three of you, and Rachel warned me about it. And then, all three of you asked me to the dance, and I couldn't say no, I couldn't break anyone's heart. I would hate myself forever if I did. So I said yes to all of you. And when the DJ announced that I was the King of Charity, I realized I was about to humiliate all of you, and it killed me inside. I'm not an insensitive jerk; I would've been_ so_ hurt to let _any _of you down, because you were all just so excited to go to the dance. And then I went and screwed it up and humiliated you in front of the whole school."

"Troy," said Molly. "What are you trying to say?"

"All I'm trying to say is that… is that, now, I can only choose two of you."

"What?" asked Carol. "Why two?"

"Because Rachel is my best friend, and I could _never_ let her go, and then I like all three of you... but I guess I have to make a decision."


	11. Chapter 11

"Hello?"

"Hi!" said Troy happily.

"Hey, Troy!" said his girlfriend on the other end of the phone.

"So, where do you want to go on our date tomorrow?" asked Troy.

"I don't know," she said. "We'll see. I'm kind of in the middle of something, though, so I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay."

"Okay, see you then!" Troy hung up the phone. He was so happy to have been forgiven by all four girls. And he couldn't _wait_ to go out tomorrow with his number 1 girl... besides Rachel, of course. And out of Paris, Carol, and Molly, Troy knew this girl was the one who could accept being number 2.

The next day, Troy walked in the hallways. Paris passed by.

"Oh, hey Troy!" she said happily.

"Hi, Paris! How's it going? Look, gotta rush! Gotta talk to my girl! But, um, look, I just wanted to thank you for doing the project with me. My first A in English Class. I must admit, it _feels_ pretty good!"

"Hey, I'll talk to you later, Troy. I won't keep you waiting!"

Troy waited impatiently in front of the school. There he saw her, his girl… he had chosen her because she just made him smile and beam and be… happy. And she wasn't a cheerleader. No, she was a soccer player. Carol was _perfect_ for him, and she didn't mind Rachel being before her in Troy's lineup. She understood what best friends were for, and she never lost Troy's trust for one moment. She was never worried about him being with Rachel or any _other _girl, for _that_ matter, not Paris or Molly.

The two walked over to_ Umberto's_ and shared a milkshake.

"I'm joining the Girls' Soccer Team this spring!" exclaimed Carol. "And I joined in the spring because I knew you _didn't_ play at that time of year, so you could watch me play and I could watch _you_ play!"

Suddenly, Rachel walked in to _Umberto's_.

"Hey, Rachel!" called out Troy. "Come sit with us! You don't mind, Carol, do you?"

"No, not at all!" said Carol. "Come on Rachel, come sit down!"

Rachel sat down with her shake and sat down.

"What kind of shake did you get?" asked Troy.

"Vanilla mocha peanut butter cherry caramel swirl," said Rachel.

"_Eeeeeeeeeew_… sounds gross," said Troy, frowning.

"Come on, you haven't even _tried _it! Try it, it won't bite!" exclaimed Rachel, holding it up to Troy. Troy reluctantly took a sip.

"Ew, tastes_ just_ as bad as it sounds," said Troy sarcastically. "No, I'm _kidding_. It's _not_ that bad. But I'll stick to my usual."

Just then, Molly and Paris walked into the café.

"Molly, Paris! Over here!" said Troy.

"Hey guys," said Paris and Molly, shakes in hand, as they walked over to the table and sat down.

"Hey Troy!" said Molly. "Congrats on the A!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm psyched. Plus, I'm psyched that in the end, we can all get along," Troy said.

"_Just _as long as you don't start dating _all _of them, I'm cool," said Rachel. "_And _just as long as you don't become a jerk like you did!"

"Agreed," Paris said. "Troy, you're a _total _jerk. Come on girls, let's get out of here."

All the girls stood up, glaring at Troy, and marched out.

"Wait! What ? What happened to 'we can all get along'?" exclaimed Troy. He sighed and sat down.

_Great, _he thought to himself. _I've lost them... again. _

Just then, the girls raced back to the table, laughing and smiling.

"We really got you there, Troy!" giggled Carol. "You _should've _seen the look on yor face! _Priceless_!"

Zac smiled. Not only had he found the perfect girl for him, a girl who was devoted to him and could find some time to squeeze him in, but he had _also_ made two new friends _and _strengthened his friendship with Rachel. Plus, he was King of Charity! And he was _SO _glad he didn't have to try out for the cheerleading squad! Of course, Rachel kept her end of the bet...

"Who's auditioning next?" asked Annie, looking down from her paper. She was sitting at the Captains' Table with two other cheerleaders, and different girls were trying out. "Next... we have... Rachel McKenzie. Well... if it isn't my ex's _best friend. _It's _already_ a no, hon. Now, _buh-bye_. "

"Good, because I don't want to_ join_ your little squad. And your _ex,_ he found a _new _girl. A girl that can devote _some _time to her guy, unlike _you_. _You _were so consumed with drama and cheerleading that you couldn't even make it to_ one_ of his games. And this new girl is _perfect_ for him. _And _he's King of Charity. You must be _bummed_ he broke up with you that _early_, because you _could _have been Queen had you been his date. But thank_ god_ you didn't win, because then the spotlight would have been on you, and the _whole _school would have seen your chipped french manicure and your brassy highlights. _Now... _buh-bye."


End file.
